Sweetbriar Dreams

Wednesday, 9 December 2015

A Trip to Norwich Cathedral

What torture! How can I not touch the wall with all the ancient history and tactile chunks of flint! I didn't though, I kept to the rules!

Continuing our visit of Norwich, how could we not visit this Cathedral. After all, I do love taking you around these don't I? So with mobile camera in hand, it's time to look at this ancient building.

Norwich Cathedral was begun in 1096, finishing in 1145 with the Norman spire. There have been some repairs obviously to the building over the centuries but nothing serious since 1480. What a testament to the craftmanship back then compared with now.

So, let's take a look inside. Entering the Cathedral, you come across this ancient medieval entrance. I love seeing old and new architecture together.

The interior of the Cathedral was incredible compared to the near plainness of the exterior. A tardis! Every corner you take there are more beautiful wonders to enjoy as well as being welcomed by very knowledgeable and friendly people.

The richness of colour coming through the stained glass windows still shone through seeing that outside it was so grey and raining.

The fifteenth century window above the West Gate was so vibrant and lit up the interior with warmth.

One thing I love about Cathedrals is to look through the arches to see how much I can see through just one opening. Here, the organ plays a huge part, not just in sound but also in presence.

Looking towards the High Altar, the enormity of the building really shone through. The throne is the only one in Northern Europe that faces the congregation, they are usually to one side of the altar.

The treasury steps in the Cathedral restored my faith in old worn stairs after seeing the filled in Castle ones.

The Hanging Chrismatory was a very special sight. This contains the Holy Oils for annointing the sick and dying, another for baptism and another for after baptism, confirmation, ordination of priests and consecration of bishops. Usually these will be locked away but Norwich Cathedral have this suspended for all to see. A very unique and spiritual sight.

Just outside, a quiet courtyard and a well tended grave. Here is the last resting place for the infamous Edith Cavell. Edith Cavell gave her life in World War I by saving the lives of many soldiers, not distinguishing between the sides. She was tortured and then shot for treason.

So, let's go and have a look at the Cloisters. These are one of the largest in England, only beaten by Salisbury Cathedral. They were designed to house 100 monks and are on two stories. Simply breathtaking.

And so our visit came to an end on this glorious building. Next, to walk out of the precincts and find our way to Elm Hill(my next installment). Until then, look at the building across the way in the wonderfully named Tombland opposite to the Cathedral. A higglety pigglety house. I love these old Tudor buildings that look like they have blown in the wind. This, I think, is the old home of Augustine Steward who was a cloth merchant as well as Mayor three times.

So until then, thank you once again for your lovely comments on my last post. I am so pleased you are enjoying the trips out and about.

Thank you for this great tour, the Cathedral is really amazing you made magnificent photographs. When I saw the cloisters at first glance I thought it was Salisbury, but these in Norwich are almost as impressive. Sigh....you have so many wonderful old buildings in England.

I enjoyed the last tour and this one as well. The history and age of these buildings is amazing compared to those in North America. We think 1800 is old! The stained glass windows and the organ in this cathedral are a amazing! I attended elementary school at Edith Cavell School. It was built after the first war and named after her. There is also a Mount Edith Cavell in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta that we have visited. Thanks for the lovely tours Chel!

It is just so amazing that they could build cathedrals back then, which have lasted, and we can't do the same thing now! When our kids were young we visited Mount Edith Cavell in the Canadian Rockies, and hiked the trail to the meadows for a view of Angel Glacier, one of the most beautiful glaciers in the countrÿ.

So much to comment on in this most enjoyable post. I read a book about Edith Cavell in Grade 3 and have always been impressed by her life. There is a mountain in the Rockies here that is named after her. The lines of the cloisters are so beautiful with the arches curving one after another in perfect form. Such amazing detail. It's mind-boggling to think of how feudal artists and workmen created these masterpieces. Thank you so much for showing us around!

What a gorgeousness, Chel, I'm wordless, really !!!I love so much these old buildings of cult, I feel as if the true Faith is still dwelling there ...I heartily thank you for your amazing shots, I'm so enchanted by medieval art .. and I must confess that my heart belongs to England !Sending blessings and dear love, my precious friendDany

I've left your blog open on my computer all day so that I could spend some time looking at your photos. You always share things I've read about or seen photos of. Some of these look like they are from a movie. Thanks for sharing! Sweet hugs, Diane

h! How I LOVE cloisters! They have always been my favourite part of any ancient cathedral! Thanks for taking us on another amazing journey. (I am going to look up Edith's life story. I have never heard of her until now. She must have quite the story......)

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Hello and Welcome

I'm Chel, a proud Londoner now living in Lincolnshire blogging about the everyday, no matter what the weather! I share my life with my two teens and our rescue dog Tia. I love photography, crafts, gardening, cooking and going on trips here and there (London especially!). Grab yourself a cup of tea and share with me my ramblings. As my Grandad used to say, "So, where shall we go on our journey today?" let's see...